Health group wants sodium content listed on menus

SALT

Sodium information should be posted on menus alongside calorie counts to help combat high blood pressure and heart disease, a group of health organizations say.

The Ontario Sodium Alliance — a coalition that includes the Ontario chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation — is warning that restaurants may add more salt to menu items as a way to increase the taste of lower-calorie meals.

The group says the province's new menu labelling bill, which only requires calorie data, may lead restaurants to cut calories in meals — a positive change for diners.

The worry is that restaurants may then add additional salt to meals to boost taste, exacerbating the already existing problem of high-sodium counts in restaurant foods.

Mark Holland, director of health promotion at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said there is anecdotal evidence that restaurants adopted this practice after New York City introduced a bylaw in 2008 forcing calorie counts on menus.

"When restaurants are forced to show calories, they are going to want to make up that taste elsewhere," he said. "It could very well be in salt."

An addition of fat or sugar will be reflected in an item's calorie count, he said. The same is not true of sodium.

"It can be put into food without you knowing it is there," Holland said.

The province's new menu labelling bill, announced in February, would require restaurants, fast-food outlets, supermarkets and convenience stores with 20 or more sites in Ontario to post calorie data on menus.

Should the legislation pass, Ontario will be the first province in Canada to make calorie counts so visible to the public.

Holland, who called the proposed bill a good first step to help consumers, said including sodium data on menus "is the next and most vital piece to complete the puzzle."

A diet that contains too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which increases a person's risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

"The reality is most people don't realize they have a salt problem," Holland said. "There are 6 million Canadians who have high blood pressure, and we know excess sodium intake is a big part of the problem."

Carol Timmings, director of chronic disease and injury prevention at Toronto Public Health, said posting sodium levels on menus is an easy and transparent way to the help diners make informed choices.

She said the average person does not realize the amount of sodium they consume.

"People don't know. You can't tell by taste. Consumers are asking for actual values to help them make their decision."

Studies have shown most Canadians consume about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day. Health Canada recommends a maximum daily allotment of 2,300 milligrams.

According to a survey conducted by Toronto Public Health, 79 per cent of respondents wanted calories posted on restaurant menus, while 74 per cent also wanted sodium information.

Research has shown the average meal served at a chain restaurant in Ontario contains about a day's worth, or 1,500 milligrams, of sodium.

Timmings said including sodium information directly on menus is important since one in 10 meals consumed in Toronto is eaten at a restaurant.

David Hammond, an associate professor in the school of public health at the University of Waterloo, said there is a need to increase the public's awareness of appropriate sodium levels in both restaurant meals and in their overall diet.

"In the absence of that kind of information, there is a risk that people will just stare at a number on a menu."

Other members of the Ontario Sodium Alliance include the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Stroke Network and the Ontario chapter of Dietitians of Canada.